Aaron Franklin and Matthew McConaughey’s Brisket Burger Collab Is Only Being Served This Weekend

Franklin and McConaughey Burger
Franklin Barbecue pitmaster and Loro co-owner Aaron Franklin and actor Matthew McConaughey virtually collaborated on a burger special for the South Lamar restaurant. The resulting burger is a brisket (duh) and chuck patty topped with double-cut smoked bacon, American cheese, pickled jalapenos, butter leaf lettuce, tomato slices, mustard, and a jalapeno aioli between butter brioche buns. It’s available now only from Loro through Uber Eats’s delivery app until Sunday, May 31 or sold out. The burger collaboration is part of Uber Eats’s virtual burger series benefitting Frontline Foods.

Franklin Barbecue Updates
In related news, Franklin Barbecue probably isn’t going to reopen its dining room until the fall, maybe September, as Franklin shared with Austin 360. In the meantime, the restaurant is sticking to its curbside pickup service where orders are placed online and people drive by the restaurant to pick up their orders. Under that service model, which began in mid-march, the restaurant is “doing about 55 percent of its normal business.”

New Cookie Delivery Service
Austin high school students Alice Huang and Sarah Zeng started their own cookie delivery service to raise money for All Together ATX, a foundation geared towards raising money for nonprofits aiding in COVID-19-related efforts. Dough Re Mi features an assortment of deliverable cookies, from chocolate ship to peanut butter to s’mores, with a bunch of gluten-free options available.

Austin Restaurant Owner Passes Away
G/M Steakhouse owner Constantine V. Vayas died last week, as reported by Austin 360. Vayas, who appeared in Richard Linklater’s film Slacker, had opened the beloved restaurant in 1962 which ran through 2005.

Austin Arcade Opens Even Though It’s Not Supposed To
Even though arcades aren’t allowed to reopen in Texas, as indicated by Gov. Greg Abbot’s phased reopening plan, Austin arcade mini-chain Pinballz Arcade reopened anyway as of Thursday, May 28.

West Sixth Bar Pop-Up
East Austin bar La Holly and food truck Taco Flats are operating a pop-up at West Sixth spot Key Bar as of Friday, May 22, at 617 West Sixth Street. The bar menu features frozen cocktails and other drinks making use of tequila, mezcal, sotol, and other spirits. The food truck will serve various tacos and the such. The pop-up will run through the fall.